View full sizeFormer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's withdrawal from the 2012 presidential race puts Alabama in play for GOP aspirants.

Mike Huckabee’s decision to forgo a run for the White House puts Alabama in play in next year’s Republican primary.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, rolled to a big victory in the 2008 Alabama GOP primary, capturing 41 percent of the vote to finish ahead of John McCain, the eventual Republican nominee, at 37 percent.

Huckabee, a religious conservative, was well positioned for another strong showing in the state. He boasts a robust political network in Alabama and could count on the support of Gov. Robert Bentley, who picked up a key endorsement from Huckabee on his road to victory in last year’s gubernatorial election.

While Georgia’s Newt Gingrich stands out as the only Southerner in the race so far, Alabama political strategists said that Mitt Romney may have the most to gain from Huckabee’s withdrawal.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, finished a distant third in the 2008 Alabama GOP primary, drawing 17 percent of the vote. But he does have strong ties to the state — Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey chaired his 2008 campaign and is back onboard for his 2012 run.

Montgomery lobbyist Claire Austin, a senior consultant for Romney’s 2008 Alabama campaign, also will return, and the campaign has hired Michael Joffrion, former political director for the Alabama Republican Party, as its Southeast regional director.

Austin said she spent Monday at a phone-bank fundraiser for Romney in Las Vegas. The one-day event raked in a formidable $10.25 million.

"If Barbour and Huckabee were in the race, it would have been really tough" for Romney to win in Alabama and Mississippi, Austin said Tuesday. "But the way things are breaking, it’s going to be very competitive."

Judicial races heat up

The presidential contest won’t be the only spirited race on the 2012 ballot.

Mobile County Circuit Judges John Lockett and Rick Stout are both up for re-election next year, and Judge Jim Wood will be retiring. The three judges stand out as Mobile County’s last remaining elected Democrats.

Local Republican Party leaders have vowed to field competitive challengers in all three races. Democrats, meanwhile, are rallying behind the incumbents.

The caution stems in part from practical concerns involved with challenging a sitting judge, but also because members of the Mobile Bar Association have said they are generally pleased with the performances of Lockett and Stout.

The race to replace Wood could get lively, however. One prominent name being put forward is state Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile.

Brooks, a Mobile lawyer and former city councilman, said in an interview that he’s been encouraged to run for the judicial seat, and is giving it serious consideration.

"My focus is absolutely on fulfilling my role as a state senator, but it is something I’m looking at," Brooks said.

One other hot rumor had Mobile County Presiding Circuit Judge Charlie Graddick, a former Alabama attorney general, making a run for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2012. Graddick did not respond to a request for comment.